“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 1 begins with this introduction to the entire book. This explanation of the intent of the author in writing this book is fairly self-explanatory. The verse that stands out to me is verse 3, “for receiving instruction in prudent behaviour, doing what is right and just and fair.” As leaders we are always striving to do what is right, what is just and what is fair. Currently, our governments are seemingly in chaos as they seek to do what is right, what is just and what is fair. Their ideas for this change daily as they work with constantly shifting data, looking to other nation’s leaders for advice or simply to ensure they are not acting out on their own and therefore open to criticism.
In this time, I find myself critiquing every move our leaders make. The questions that flow through my mind mostly revolve around these three ideas: is it the right decision, is it a just policy, is it fair to everyone? Typically, the answer I come up with is a resounding NO! But how do I know? How are any of us to know what is right, just and fair?
Wisdom.
What we require as leaders, among many things, is wisdom. And Solomon, in the Proverbs written thousands of years ago, provides wisdom for all of life’s situations. The problems the world faced at the time of Solomon are the same as we face today because they are people problems; and people are the same today as they have always been.
The opening chapter of Proverbs instructs us to seek wisdom and reminds me the source of all wisdom is God and His Word. As I seek to understand what is right, what is just and what is fair, I will continue into the Proverbs for that is why they were written.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How have you handled the current pandemic situation? Do you have strategies for understanding what is right, just and fair for your business, your family, or your community?